We believe in a healthier community approach to mortality and dying.

Who we are.

A group of volunteers who believe we need a healthier approach to mortality and dying in our community to ensure quality of life extends to our end of life.

Our mission and how we achieve it.

Our mission is to encourage people to make meaningful choices now for the end of life by educating the community to choose, communicate, and document what they want.

Final Steps is working towards our mission by creating events, education campaigns, and collaboration with other organisations. We rely on local experts to facilitate dialogue on this topic and use international resources such as Being Mortal and the Conversation Project tool kits to assist individuals to choose, communicate and document.

Our first steps.

Final Steps formed from a book club that read Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal in 2016. The book club members, deeply impacted and motivated by the book, decided to organise and help encourage discussion and dialogue in the community and within families regarding end of life care and ageing.

Since 2016 the group has collaborated with various organisations and refined its focus on encouraging end of life conversations within the community through multiple events and initiatives.

April 29, 2017

Organised presentation and discussion on the book "Being Mortal" in relation to Bermuda. Panel of experts discussed key themes in Being Mortal: end of life choices, importance of planning for such and costs of health care at end of life (Panelists: Dr. David Harries, Dr. Sharon Alikhani, Barrister Harry Kessaram, and Tawanna Wedderburn, ED of the Bermuda Health Council). 103 people attended, exceeding expectations.

October 12, 2017

"Being Mortal” documentary film shown at BUEI. Two screenings necessary due to demand.

October 12, 2017
Organised “Deeper Conversations on Being Mortal” event. Panelists with brief presentations on experience with end of life conversations: Dr. Elaine Campbell; Shirley Higgs, RN; Rev. Dean Smith; Dr. Sharon Alikhani. Small break-out groups facilitated by panelists on questions in the Conversation Project Starter Toolkits. 47 people attended, (younger demographic and more males than for previous event.)

March 1, 2018 to present
On-going presentations by Final Steps to various community groups

February 8, 2018
Collaboration with ZBM TV on “Talking Death”, a 5-part documentary feature. Aired during nightly news April 23-2, 2018.   

September 2018 to present
24-part radio series on end-of-life topics with expert guest speakers on Ocean 89 FM, hosted by DJ Shelley “Thunder.” Listen to past shows on our Soundcloud page.

February 7, 2019

Pecha Kucha presentation, "Talking About Death Isn't Fatal"   

March 3, 2019
In cooperation with Kendra Earls and Rich Lathan organised the first Death Cafe in Bermuda

June 2019
Continuing medical education presentations made to KEMH and MWI physicians, psychologists and staff members (also in September 2019)

Invited to have a Final Steps representative on the BHB Ethics Committee's  End of Life Subcommittee.

October 12, 2019
Hosted "The Departure Lounge" event, a travel-themed thought-provoking series of games, surveys and activities to encourage end of life choices and conversations.

October/November 2019
Jasen Moniz promoted Bermuda's second "Conversation Sabbath" for all faiths .